Kutaragi defends PS3 price
Just look at PSone, says Ken.
SCEI president Ken Kutaragi has declared it will be up to us gamers to decide whether the PS3 is worth the asking price - as we did when the original PlayStation was released.
In an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Kutaragi said: "Price setting is always a headache for us. No game machines are comparable to the PS3, which is neither a genuine game console, home electronics [product] nor a personal computer. It is a new kind of product."
The PS3 is set to launch globally this November, priced at $499 / €499 for the 20GB version or $599 / €599 for the 60GB model.
According to Kutaragi, it will be "consumers who decide whether it's expensive or cheap. If a product offers charm, then buyers will be convinced."
Kutaragi then referred to the original PlayStation, which launched in December 1994 with a price tag of ¥39,800 (€280).
"With Nintendo's 16-bit machine selling for about ¥12,000 (€85) at that time, the media criticised us for priciness - but it became an explosive hit."